Auto start/stop never ready

[BringTheLightnin]

Hello everyone. So I bought a 2021 Sport S with 20k miles on it and the auto start/stop has not worked once since I bought it. Whether I want it to or not is a different thing but it bothers me that I don't have the option. It always says not ready on the dash. Sometimes it'll say the reason but for the most part it just says not ready. I'm wondering if the previous owner had disabled it somehow and how I could enable it again if so. I haven't got a tazer yet but I don't know if he had one and used that to disable it and now that it's gone it's still disabled? Is there a harness I should look for for a disabler? It also never chimes when the seatbelt is unbuckled so I'm sure that was done with a tazer so maybe a tazer will allow me to enable it again? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

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[ShadowsPapa]

Hello everyone. So I bought a 2021 Sport S with 20k miles on it and the auto start/stop has not worked once since I bought it. Whether I want it to or not is a different thing but it bothers me that I don't have the option. It always says not ready on the dash. Sometimes it'll say the reason but for the most part it just says not ready. I'm wondering if the previous owner had disabled it somehow and how I could enable it again if so. I haven't got a tazer yet but I don't know if he had one and used that to disable it and now that it's gone it's still disabled? Is there a harness I should look for for a disabler? It also never chimes when the seatbelt is unbuckled so I'm sure that was done with a tazer so maybe a tazer will allow me to enable it again? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Tazer can't disable it unless Tazer is still installed. It can't be disabled without a device in place.
The fact that you are getting a message means that you have some sort of problem preventing it - either one of a list of over 20 things not ready, or the batteries just aren't up to snuff.
Check your battery voltage with the truck parked (buy a $15 walmart volt meter)
Not sure how they disabled the seatbelt chime - there may be a setting in there and if that's the case the dealer can enable it, or you could with software like JSCAN or AlfaOBD.
No use spending hundreds for a tazer just for these things.

If you bought this from a dealer - they should check things like that and make it right. Depending on the miles - .............

Anyway, the auto stop/start has nothing to do with tazer because it fakes a button push and would never display any message on the cluster saying it wasn't ready.
The fact you get any message proves it's not disabled in any way.

 

[Lunentucker]

Make sure both of the hood switches are in the upright position. They're black plastic looking plunger switches on the driver's side front when the hood is raised.
A common ESS bypass is to lay one of the switches down so that it's never engaged.

Make sure that fuse F42 is in place in the fuse box under the hood.

Make sure that there's an auxiliary battery installed and connected, or that if there's just one battery, that It's wired properly to handle ESS in the absence of the AUX battery.

 

[Gatorized]

Not sure how they disabled the seatbelt chime - there may be a setting in there and if that's the case the dealer can enable it, or you could with software like JSCAN or AlfaOBD.
No use spending hundreds for a tazer just for these things.

Jeep Seat Belt Chime delete

Open the driver door, then close the door
.— Plug in seat belt
— Turn ignition to run
— Unplug and plug in seat belt 4 times
— leaving seat belt plugged in
Turn ignition off

Chime should be off but will still display icon warning on dash.

Follow same sequence to reinstate the chime.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Jeep Seat Belt Chime delete

Open the driver door, then close the door
.— Plug in seat belt
— Turn ignition to run
— Unplug and plug in seat belt 4 times
— leaving seat belt plugged in
Turn ignition off

Chime should be off but will still display icon warning on dash.

Follow same sequence to reinstate the chime.

Interesting.
I was going to go through my logs to see if there was anything in them that indicated it could be disabled............ haven't gotten there yet.
Likely then that's all he needs to do to reenable that bit.

Make sure both of the hood switches are in the upright position. They're black plastic looking plunger switches on the driver's side front when the hood is raised.
A common ESS bypass is to lay one of the switches down so that it's never engaged.

Doesn't that display a light on the cluster, though?

Make sure that there's an auxiliary battery installed and connected, or that if there's just one battery, that It's wired properly to handle ESS in the absence of the AUX battery.

If it's connected, it will handle it. There's really nothing one could change about the crank battery to negate ESS.
That's why that bypass by pulling the PCR relay fuse works - the battery will simply handle it.
But he's getting an ESS not ready message so likely not related.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Wow. I hadn’t heard that one. I guess it would tell you it’s “not ready”? I’m surprised it would let you drive.

As I recall, it gives you a "light" on the dash. That's why some don't like to do it that way - it annoys them with an error or light.

 

[Mister Lamb]

Battery issue w/ my guess being the AUX battery. Depending on how often (or not) the car was driven, 20k miles with an original battery wouldn't surprise me. $100 replacement.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Battery issue w/ my guess being the AUX battery. Depending on how often (or not) the car was driven, 20k miles with an original battery wouldn't surprise me. $100 replacement.

Possible. Should give battery charging message - but it could be the aux totally failed the startup test.


My first thinking on that is - since this was purchased as a "used vehicle"- charge each battery independently - meaning charge the aux battery and charge the crank battery, reset the IBS.
Check voltages of the batteries after a full charge of each.
Let it sit a few hours and check voltage again.
That would at least tell if it's worth getting them load tested, and possibly replace one or both.
Could be the crank battery has a problem, too. It can start the truck but have diminished capacity and capacity is not the same as "CCA".
People believe that if it cranks it's ok, that's just not true.

 

[BringTheLightnin]

I've checked most of those things. I haven't checked the fuse or the battery yet. The voltage reads fine on the off-road pages but I think that's the main battery. I get a message saying why it isn't on when I have any of the mentioned reasons and there's no light on the dash. Just always says not ready. Anything to do with the Mopar lift and 35s?

I'll check the fuse and aux battery later today and get back to it here.

 

[BringTheLightnin]

Jeep Seat Belt Chime delete

Open the driver door, then close the door
.— Plug in seat belt
— Turn ignition to run
— Unplug and plug in seat belt 4 times
— leaving seat belt plugged in
Turn ignition off

Chime should be off but will still display icon warning on dash.

Follow same sequence to reinstate the chime.

Is this really a way to do it? I don't want it renabled but if that's real.. I'm pleasantly surprised jeep did that

 

[mrmo]

Jeep Seat Belt Chime delete

Open the driver door, then close the door
.— Plug in seat belt
— Turn ignition to run
— Unplug and plug in seat belt 4 times
— leaving seat belt plugged in
Turn ignition off

Chime should be off but will still display icon warning on dash.

Follow same sequence to reinstate the chime.

I did this and it works, to turn off that annoying AF chime...have done this on my other vehilces too. Yes the scold light stays on

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I've checked most of those things. I haven't checked the fuse or the battery yet. The voltage reads fine on the off-road pages but I think that's the main battery. I get a message saying why it isn't on when I have any of the mentioned reasons and there's no light on the dash. Just always says not ready. Anything to do with the Mopar lift and 35s?

I'll check the fuse and aux battery later today and get back to it here.

Nothing to do with lifts, tires, etc.

Both batteries are connected together in parallel while it's sitting in your garage and while you are driving it, so the voltage is the combined equalized voltage of the pair.
What voltage are you seeing on the cluster gauge or the off road pages?
A fully charged AGM battery should be 12.8, while driving it may be anywhere from 13 to 15 volts.

 

[BringTheLightnin]

Nothing to do with lifts, tires, etc.

Both batteries are connected together in parallel while it's sitting in your garage and while you are driving it, so the voltage is the combined equalized voltage of the pair.
What voltage are you seeing on the cluster gauge or the off road pages?
A fully charged AGM battery should be 12.8, while driving it may be anywhere from 13 to 15 volts.

It's about 14 when driving. 12.3ish sitting. I may have to end up taking it to the dealer if I can't figure out

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It's about 14 when driving. 12.3ish sitting. I may have to end up taking it to the dealer if I can't figure out

You've gotten some good responses so far from several others and it sounds like you've covered those things now..........
For me, seeing those numbers of 14 while driving (not bad, but could be higher for a battery that's not fully charged)
12.3 is low enough that the auto stop/start isn't going to work. On the trucks I've measured, it appears to be 12.4 before it's satisfied that the batteries are high enough to trigger ESS.
If you can, if you have a charger that will charge AGM batteries properly (the batteries in modern Jeeps are AGM battery types) then put a charger on for a few hours and see if they come up.
I have a feeling with the numbers you gave here that you may be looking at needing the batteries fully charged then load tested. You can't do a proper load test with a voltage of 12.3. If I recall correctly from the documentation the dealers go by for testing, it's got to be at least 12.4 or higher before they can properly test the batteries.

Batteries can start a truck but still be of diminished capacity. That means they are fine as long as things are working and the truck starts - but they can't maintain that type of load. They can sprint but can't handle a marathon. The IBS (Intelligent Battery Sensor) on the negative terminal of the main battery tracks such things as best it can. Over time, depending on how this truck was used in the past, the batteries may have lost capacity due to sitting, lack of use, lack of being kept fully charged, a lot of "cycles", etc.

 

[Jackpaul]

Hello everyone. So I bought a 2021 Sport S with 20k miles on it and the auto start/stop has not worked once since I bought it. Whether I want it to or not is a different thing but it bothers me that I don't have the option. It always says not ready on the dash. Sometimes it'll say the reason but for the most part it just says not ready. I'm wondering if the previous owner had disabled it somehow and how I could enable it again if so. I haven't got a tazer yet but I don't know if he had one and used that to disable it and now that it's gone it's still disabled? Is there a harness I should look for for a disabler? It also never chimes when the seatbelt is unbuckled so I'm sure that was done with a tazer so maybe a tazer will allow me to enable it again? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Have not read everyone’s comments, but it is likely the aux battery. Don’t get hung up on testing the battery, if it’s a 21 it’s the aux battery, change it.

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